Earthworm. Lifestyle and habitat of the earthworm. The influence of earthworms on soil formation Interesting historical facts about annelids

Presence earthworm in the soil is the ultimate dream of any farmer. They are excellent helpers in agriculture. In order to make their way, they have to move a lot underground.

Their over millions of years has made the earth much more fertile. On rainy days, they can be observed on the ground, but it is not easy to catch them. They have enough muscular body in order to easily hide from a person underground.

They occupy the main place in the structure of the soil, enriching it with humus and many important components, resulting in much higher yields. This is work of earthworms.

Where did such a name come from? During rain, underground rain burrows are filled with water, because of this they have to crawl out to the outside. How to characterize biohumus?

This is an amazing substance that regulates soil moisture well. When the soil lacks water, it stands out from the humus, and vice versa, with its excess, biohumus easily absorbs it.

In order to understand how these spineless creatures can produce such valuable material, it is enough to understand how and what they eat. Their favorite delicacy is half-rotted leftovers. flora used by these creatures simultaneously with the soil.

The soil is mixed with natural additives while moving inside. In the waste products of these creatures, the amount of important elements necessary for plants exceeds many times over.

Features and habitat of earthworms

These creatures are considered oligochaetes. earthworm body has the most different length. It stretches from 2 cm to 3 m. There are from 80 to 300 segments. The structure of the earthworm unique and interesting.

They move with the help of short bristles. They are on every segment. The only exceptions are the anterior ones, which have no setae. The number of bristles is also not unambiguous, there are eight or more of them, the figure reaches several tens. A greater number of bristles from the tropics.

Concerning circulatory system earthworms, then it is closed and well developed. Their blood color is red. These creatures breathe thanks to the sensitivity of their skin cells.

On the skin, in turn, there is a special protective mucus. Their sensitive recipes are absolutely not developed. They don't have eyes at all. Instead, there are special cells on the skin that react to light.

In the same places are taste buds, smell and touch. The ability to regenerate is well developed. They can easily recover from damage to their back of the body.

AT big family The worms we are talking about now include about 200 species. earthworms are of two types. They have distinctive features. It all depends on lifestyle and biological features. The first category includes earthworms that find food for themselves in the ground. The second ones get their own food on it.

Worms that get their food underground are called litter and are under the soil no deeper than 10 cm and do not deepen even when the soil freezes or dries out.

Soil worms are another category of worms. These creatures can go a little deeper than the previous ones, by 20 cm. For burrowing worms that feed under the soil, the maximum depth starts from 1 meter and deeper.

Burrowing worms are generally difficult to notice on the surface. They almost never show up there. Even during mating or feeding, they do not fully protrude from their holes.

Life of an earthworm digging completely from beginning to end goes deep underground in agricultural work. Earthworms can be found everywhere except in cold arctic places.

Burrowing and bedding worms are comfortable in waterlogged soils. They are found on the banks of reservoirs, in marshy places and in subtropical zones with a humid climate. Taiga and tundra are loved by litter and soil litter worms.

And soil is best in steppe chernozems. In all places they can adapt, but they feel most comfortable earthworms in soil coniferous-deciduous forests. AT summer time year they live closer to the surface of the earth, and in winter time sink deeper.

The nature and lifestyle of the earthworm

Most of the life of these spineless takes place underground. Why earthworms most often found there? This provides them with security. Networks of corridors at various depths are dug underground by these creatures.

They have a whole underworld. Mucus helps them to move even in the hardest soils. They can not long time being under the sun is like death for them because they have a very thin layer of skin.

Ultraviolet poses a real danger to them, therefore, to a greater extent, worms are underground and only in rainy cloudy weather crawl to the surface.

Worms prefer to lead night image life. It is at night that you can find a large number of them on the surface of the earth. Initially earthworms in the soil they leave part of their body in order to scout the situation, and only after the surrounding space did not frighten them, they gradually go outside in order to get their own food.

Their body is able to stretch perfectly. A large number of the bristles of the worm curve back, which protects it from external factors. It is practically impossible to pull out a whole worm without tearing it, because in order to protect itself, it clings to the walls of the mink with its bristles.

Earthworms sometimes reach quite large sizes.

It has already been said that the role of earthworms for people is just incredible. They not only ennoble the soil and fill it with useful substances, but also loosen it, and this contributes to the saturation of the soil with oxygen. In winter, in order to survive in the cold, they have to go deeper so as not to experience frost and fall into hibernation.

They feel the arrival of spring by warmed soil and rainwater, which begin to circulate in their burrows. With the coming of spring earthworm crawling out and begins his labor agrotechnical activity.

Earthworm food

It is a spineless omnivore. earthworm organs designed so that they can swallow a huge amount of soil. Along with this, rotten leaves are used, all but hard and unpleasantly smelling for the worm, as well as fresh plants.

The figure shows the structure of an earthworm

They drag all these foodstuffs underground and begin to eat there. They do not like the veins of the leaves, the worms use only the soft part of the leaf. Earthworms are known to be thrifty creatures.

They keep the leaves in their burrows in reserve, neatly stacking them. Moreover, they may have a special hole dug to store provisions. They fill the hole with food and cover it with a clod of earth. Do not visit their storage until it is required.

Reproduction and life span of the earthworm

These spineless hermaphrodites. They are attracted to the scent. They mate, unite with their mucous membranes and, cross-fertilizing, exchange spermatozoa.

The embryo of the worm is stored in a strong cocoon on the parent's belt. It is not exposed to even the most difficult external factors. Most often, one worm is born. They live 6-7 years.

In order to start our research, together with my mother, teacher, friends, we found many books and articles about earthworms.

I decided to find out who earthworms are, why they are called that. He made the assumption that they owe their name to the fact that they appear with the rain, or love the rain. After rereading articles from books with my mother, I learned that an earthworm is called an earthworm, because during showers it leaves its mink to breathe. And in the meantime it becomes the prey of birds, hedgehogs, predatory insects.

Earthworms belong to the type annelids, the subtype Poyaskovye, the class Polychaetes, the Lumbricidae family.

Worms, like twins, look alike. I decided to find out whether there are different types of worms or just one.

From various sources of information, I read that there are a great many types of earthworms on Earth. They vary greatly in size. AT North America two species of earthworms live up to 60 cm long, in Australia (Victoria) a giant earthworm can reach 3-4 m in length! Huge worms are inhabitants of tropical rainforests.

Our worms are smaller, from a few centimeters to 30-40 cm. There are about 40 species of earthworms in our country.

We most often meet the following types of earthworms:

1. Tetrahedral earthworm (Eiseniella tetraedra) is 3-5 cm long; its middle and posterior parts of the body are markedly tetrahedral. Found only in very humid places (in wet moss, in damp earth at water bodies).

2. Fetid earthworm (Eisenia foetida) is 6-13 cm long; got its name from the specific unpleasant odor it emits. characteristic feature: red or brown rings on each segment - and the grooves separating the segments are light. It is found mainly in manure heaps and in rich garden soil.

3. Yellowish green earthworm (Allophora chlorotica) is 5-7 cm long. Its color can be different: yellowish, greenish, reddish. Lives both in slightly damp and in very damp soil (in gardens, in river bank cliffs), in rotting foliage.

4. Reddish earthworm (Lumbricus rubellus) is 7-15 cm long. The dorsal side is reddish-brown and purple with a pearly sheen. This is a typical inhabitant of more or less moist, humus soil, usually at shallow depths.

5. Earthworm terrestrial or common (creeping out) (Lumbricus terrestris) is 9-30 cm in length; very widely distributed, especially common in clay soils. On wet nights, it climbs to the soil surface for the remains of plants.

I wonder what types of worms are found in our village?

To do this, I had to find them. Where to get worms? I looked at worms in old dunghills, in clumps of last year's leaves, and picked up old rotten logs.

When I tried to find earthworms, I noticed that in one place there were a lot of them, and in another not a single worm was found. When studying the literature, I found out: the absence of earthworms in the soil means that the soil conditions are unfavorable for their life activity, which means that the fertility of such soil is very low. I understood why my mother in the garden talked about a good harvest. After all, we came across a lot of worms while digging.

I took the last group of worms in our garden. To do this, I had to dig up a piece of land. It is not difficult to find an earthworm when excavating the earth, as long as the soil is sufficiently moist and does not represent pure sand. After a warm rain, you can always see them on the paths in the garden or park, and even on the sidewalks or the sports field.

As a result of work on my site, I found a small red worm, or creep (10-12 cm long, cherry red, lives near the surface of the soil), a large creep (25 cm long, paler in color, makes moves in the ground to a depth 2.5 m). One worm I found was different from crawling out. Comparing the pictures, I decided that this is a plowed earthworm (gray, 14-15 cm long, feels good in the aisles of the garden and tree trunks, rarely gets out to the surface).

To begin with, I decided to carefully consider the worms that I dug up in the garden.

I found that the anterior end of the worm was slightly thickened and darker in color than the posterior end, which was thin and flat. Its entire elongated body was 27 cm long and divided into many rings, the number of which, I learned, can reach up to 180. On the sides of the body, bristles were barely visible from the skin. I did not see them with the naked eye, but they are clearly visible with a magnifying glass. I let a large worm crawl over dry paper, and then the rustling of bristles became audible.

What an earthworm looks like inside, the teacher showed me in the picture. Internal structure the worm resembles a submarine device. Several tubes run inside: the dorsal and abdominal blood vessels, where blood is pumped by 5 miniature hearts, and the main tube, stretching from the mouth to the very end. Along it is complex equipment - glands that secrete lime, and a chewing stomach, where food is ground. underground dweller swallows tiny pebbles with which it grinds food.

Having examined the worms, I began to let them go, while observing their movement. I found that on the surface of the earth, not having support from all sides, as in the earth, worms move relatively slowly.

I lowered some of the earthworms onto the dug up earth and saw that the worms quickly dug into the ground. At the same time, each of them acted with its pointed muscular front end, like a wedge, alternately narrowing and stretching it, then blowing up and shortening, thus pushing the soil particles to the sides.

I learned that the pharyngeal sac of a worm has hard, thick walls. It can move forward quickly and, in Darwin's words, "strikes hard from the inside to the front of the body time after time, driving it into the ground like a hammer."

He lowered the other part of the earthworms onto dense soil. I made an amazing discovery for myself. If the earth is very dense, which makes it difficult to penetrate into it, then the worm simply "eats" its way, swallowing soil particles and passing it through itself. True, this method of movement is not too fast.

The third part was placed on a particularly dense and dry soil. I marveled at the abilities of these small, gentle creatures! They also found a way out here: they made the soil wet. I was surprised: “Where did the water come from?”. It turns out that the worm moistened the earth with its own saliva!

I learned that as soon as a piece of earth gets wet, the worm swallows it. Then he again moistens the soil in front of him and swallows another portion, gradually moving deeper. Not a worm, but a real excavator!

The average number of worms in garden soil, according to the observations of one German scientist, is 13 individuals per 1 m2. According to other calculations, there are at least 300 thousand of them in deciduous forests per hectare. In the forest, the number of earthworms varies greatly depending on the composition of the soil and the nature of the forest stand, in deciduous forest there are 200-500 individuals per 1 m2, up to 100 individuals in coniferous forests.

2. MAIN SIGNS OF EARTHWORMS.

OBSERVATION 1

Find out what earthworms eat.

I decided to observe the feeding of worms. But it is difficult to observe the feeding of worms in nature, since they are nocturnal animals and usually come to the surface at night, but their minks can be quite easily found in the garden or in the garden.

In nature:

1. Find mink worms.

2. Undermine one of them and remove the remains of plants.

3. Try to determine what kind of plant it is.

PROGRESS OF OBSERVATION

In order to determine what the worm eats in nature, I had to look for its mink. The mink of the worm was a narrow long channel. Worms close the entrances to their burrows with corks, most often from fallen leaves fastened with earth, or from their own coprolites.

In warm and damp weather at night, the worms crawl out of the minks, but not quite, but, clinging to the hole with their tail, so that in case of danger they can quickly hide. Stretching out, they rummage around the surrounding space, grabbing fallen leaves, half-rotten blades of grass and other vegetation with their mouths, dragging them into their burrows.

Examining the remains of food, I determined that they were half-decayed parts of plants, fallen leaves (I assumed that they were birches, since only these trees grow nearby) and other substances of plant origin. In addition, I found, as it seemed to me, the remains resembling parts of animal origin.

In the laboratory:

1. Put on the surface of the soil where the earthworms are, small pieces of cabbage leaves, lard, meat, rotting parts of plants.

2. Watch what happens to them. How do worms carry food into the soil, and at what time of day?

OBSERVATION PROCEDURE:

At home we made a terrarium for worms. It was a glass box filled with earth. Worms were launched there and began to observe.

During the day, earthworms rarely came to the surface, preferring to hide in a mink. With the onset of twilight and darkness, they came to life and crawled to the surface in search of food almost entirely, but did not crawl along the surface, but held on to the edge of the mink with their rear end. Their front part of the body, rising above the ground, made circular movements and felt everything around.

I put small pieces of a cabbage leaf on the surface of the soil and began to observe. My guests didn't make me wait long. Stretching out, the worms ransacked the surrounding space, seized the cabbage in their mouths and dragged it into their minks.

After observing the worms, I determined that they willingly eat fresh leaves plants, especially cabbage, onions and carrots. I offered them potato peels, bread peels, banana skins, orange peels, tangerine peels, apple cores. Worms did not refuse these dishes. They liked them. Of all the products offered, they liked carrots the most.

I decided to check if the worms eat meat. It turned out that they are not vegetarians, because they do not refuse meat, both raw and boiled, as well as fat. The teacher explained to me that worms are omnivores, that is, they eat both plant and animal food.

From Internet sources, I learned that “Darwin tested the tastes of his pets by offering them cabbage leaves, turnips, beets, celery, cherries and carrots. Gourmets first of all regaled themselves on carrots. In addition, it turned out that they love fried meat and especially love crude fat. From this, Darwin concluded that the stomach juices of the worm are capable of digesting carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

Watching earthworms, I came to the conclusion that this sentient beings. Just look how he drags food offered to him into his mink! He determines how easy it is to do it and begins his work.

About this, my mother and I found a note in one of the articles.

“Darwin also noted one characteristic feature of earthworms: they pull a leaf into a mink, grabbing it by the top, and not by the petiole, so the leaf has the least resistance. But pine needles always pull on the petiole, as if realizing that the needles grabbed by the end of one of the two needles would get stuck at the entrance to the worm's dwelling, since the second needle would lie across the mink hole.

Ch. Darwin in his experiments “offered” triangles cut out of paper to worms, and they pulled them in in the most rational way: by one of the sharp corners.

OBSERVATION 2

Investigate the effect of earthworms on the soil.

In nature:

1. View garden paths, garden beds.

2. Find long earthen strings or earthen spherical lumps - these are earthworm secretions formed when soil rich in plant residues is passed through the worm's intestines.

OBSERVATION PROCEDURE:

Looking through the garden paths, garden beds, I found long earthen strings or spherical lumps, the so-called COPROLITES. This is earthworm excrement. Especially quickly they can be found after rain.

At first I could not understand what coprolites were. After explaining to the adults, I realized that it was after the passage of the soil through the intestines of the worms that the lumps of soil were ejected in the form of coprolites. I found that this word was formed from the Greek words kopros - "dung", and lithos - "stone". Coprolites are spherical or elongated lumps of earth 1-5 mm in size. Freshly thrown coprolites have a smooth surface; they can be glued together in aggregates up to 20 mm in size and more. Coprolites are ejected by worms in the form of heaps 3-15 mm high, usually covering the outer opening of the worm's passage, although a significant part of the coprolites is also deposited in underground passages.

In the laboratory:

1. Determine what worms will eat if they are not specifically fed?

PURPOSE OF THE EXPERIENCE:

Observe what worms eat if they are not specifically fed.

EXPERIENCE PLAN:

1. Pour dark sifted earth into two liter jars.

2. We moisten the earth, (we maintain the humidity of the earth throughout the entire experiment).

3. We put 4 adult worms in one jar, and the second jar is the control one.

4. Observe what we find the next day on it?

5. Find out what nutrient material the worm can extract from the soil?

WORKING PROCESS:

a) prepared two banks with land according to the plan; b) wrapped thick paper and put in warm place; c) put 7 adult worms on the surface of the earth; d) worms dug into the ground;

a) Consider what has changed in the bank.

I saw that there were passages in the ground.

Having examined the banks, it seemed to me that there was more land in them. The worms loosened the soil. She seemed to be mixed up. If the worms are not specially fed, then they swallow the earth. I made the assumption that the soil has useful material which the worm feeds on.

It was discussed with the teacher that, by passing soil rich in humus through its intestines, the worm extracts some nutrients, throwing the rest out. In this case, the earth from the lower layer of soil is carried upward.

From various sources of information, I learned that in the intestines of earthworms, such elements of the mineral nutrition of plants as potassium and magnesium are released from mineral particles.

Earthworms live in a good, wet soil lead a burrowing lifestyle. They cannot live in sand. Worms are nocturnal and crawl out to the surface only at night. When you see a worm in nature on the surface of the earth, it means that it is looking for new house or more nutritious soil. Worms are omnivores. They eat food of both plant and animal origin.

Mostly semi-decayed plant leaves, parts of plants, potatoes, bread, flour

To a lesser extent Meat (raw, boiled), animal carcasses, lard

OBSERVATION 3

Explore the question of who can eat earthworms.

Earthworms have many enemies. Main enemy earthworms - an unreasonable person. With unreasonable actions and pesticides, a person can kill worms and destroy soil fertility.

However, in the animal kingdom there are laws interspecific struggle endangering the life of the earthworm. Various living creatures hunt and eat it as a delicacy: in particular, these are mice, moles, rats, snakes, toads, and some birds.

Among small animals, the enemies of the earthworm are wood lice, moths and ants.

There are few means of fighting for the life of earthworms.

Rats and mice do not eat earthworms very greedily, but can be quite harmful where the earthworm eats food.

Toads are a very common animal in our conditions. They are carnivorous, finding in the worm a variety of normal diet, which includes midges, mosquitoes, etc.

Birds are almost all carnivorous and prey on the earthworm for ease of prey. Since the worms are not visible from the outside, they tear upper part minks and find the worm in its usual activities, unaware of the danger.

Moles are especially dangerous, as they are very fond of earthworms, which they consider their main food. There are no means of protection to deal with it.

In the laboratory:

1. Take an ordinary two-liter glass jar. Pour dark sifted garden soil and light sand into it in alternating layers, so that light sand is on top. Put three or four earthworms in there. Place the jar in a dimly lit area or wrap it in paper and keep an eye on the humidity. The soil should be kept slightly moist at all times. Make observations and answer the questions: a). Are the layers of sand and earth changing? in). If they mix, then why?

PURPOSE OF THE EXPERIENCE:

To get acquainted with the role of the earthworm in mixing the soil.

EXPERIENCE PLAN:

1. In two three-liter jars we pour layers of dark sifted earth from the garden by 2/3, and then a layer of light sand 2-3 cm. Light sand is on the surface.

2. We moisten the earth and sand (we maintain the humidity of the sand and earth throughout the entire experiment).

3. We put 7 adult worms in one jar, and the second jar is the control one.

4. Place the jar in a warm, dark place, wrap the jar with a newspaper.

5. We will periodically feed the worms with boiled vegetables, food waste from the kitchen (once every 5-7 days).

6. Watch the disappearance of the sand-ground boundary

WORKING PROCESS.

1) 12.08.08

a) prepared two jars of earth and sand according to the plan b) put 7 adult worms on the surface of the sand c) after 35 minutes the worms dug into the ground d) put food on top of the soil: a piece of bread, an orange peel, a piece of boiled meat.

e) covered the jar with a tin lid, wrapped it in thick paper and put it in a warm place.

2) 18.08.08

a) fed the worms with porridge.

b) small lumps of earth (coprolites) appeared on the surface of the sand. The appearance of such lumps on bare ground indicates the beginning of the activity of worms.

c) through the glass of the jar, the passages of worms are visible in the ground

3) 25. 08. 08

a) fed the worms with kitchen waste (tangerine peel, used tea leaves, boiled potatoes).

b) the "sand-earth" boundary has been violated. The layers turn out to be penetrated to the bottom by worm passages, and a significant part of them was filled with dark-colored coprolites.

4) 02.09.08

a) feeding worms with kitchen waste b) upper layer the sand is gone. The middle one is almost all mixed up. In the lower layer, numerous inclusions of earth in the sand are visible. Visible moves made by worms

5) 09.09.08

a) feeding the worms with kitchen waste (boiled carrots, cabbage leaves, bacon) b) the sand-ground boundary is partially preserved, sand is visible in the layers of the earth.

b) the entire contents of the can are mixed.

At the same time, the total volume of the soil increased. I decided that this was due to the fact that the worms made many moves in the ground.

SOIL MIXING WITH A WORM

DATE OF OBSERVATION VISIBLE SIGNS OF WORM ACTIVITY

12. 08. 08 EARTHWORMS WERE PLANTED IN A JAR FILLED WITH SAND AND SOIL.

18. 08. 08 THE APPEARANCE OF THE FIRST Lumps of EARTH ON THE SURFACE OF SAND

25. 08. 08 BEGINNING OF THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE BORDER "SAND-EARTH"

2. 09. 08 THE TOP LAYER OF SAND DISAPPEARED. MEDIUM ALMOST ALL MIXED. IN THE BOTTOM

THE LAYER VISIBLE NUMEROUS INCLUSIONS OF EARTH IN THE SAND. VISIBLE MOVES

MADE BY WORMS

09. 09. 08 DISAPPEARANCE OF THE BORDER "SAND-EARTH"

16. 09. 08 ALL CONTENT OF THE JAR IS MIXED

According to the observations of C. Darwin, worms in the fields bring soil to the surface in a layer of about 0.5 cm per year, which is approximately 0.5 m per century. This entire layer is passed through the intestines of earthworms. During the year for each square meter surface worms carry out 2.5 kg of soil, and for 1 hectare of meadow soil - about 38 tons.

In the presence of 7-8 individuals per 1 m2 per year on one hectare of forest soil, worms can process up to 250 kg of fallen leaves and other parts of plants. Thus, within a relatively short time, the entire surface layer of the soil is repeatedly passed through the intestines of earthworms, as a result of which it is loosened and mixed with plant residues.

I learned that earthworms loosen the soil, crush it in the process of eating. With their help, the roots of plants receive air and moisture, they contribute to the decay of dead plants and animal remains, and plant seeds of plants. This happens when they drag leaves into their burrows while grabbing seeds from the surface.

My parents spread fertilizer in their garden every year. I realized that the worms themselves produce fertilizer and enrich the soil.

The importance of this can be seen in one example. Scientists have discovered an area with one of the most fertile soils. They calculated that there are 108 tons of earthworm waste per half a hectare. That's why this area has been so fertile for hundreds of years!

The experiments of scientists show that without earthworms, the fallen ground parts of plants decompose 2-3 times slower. Numerous vegetative experiments show that in the presence of earthworms, the yield of various field crops increases, for example, barley by 50-100%, oats by 200%. Earthworms "supply" the soil beneficial microorganisms, and the roots of plants more easily penetrate into the depths along their courses.

In the dry season, in places with insufficient soil moisture, the worms sink to a considerable depth. So these animals play extremely important role in nature - they continuously cultivate and improve the soil, increasing its fertility. There are a number of observations showing that when earthworms were relocated to fields where they had not previously been, it was possible to increase the yield of rye, turnip, rapeseed and potatoes by 50-100%.

The earthworm mixes the soil and processes organic residues.

Thus, thanks to earthworms, the soil layers are mixed. The ingestion of soil by worms and its removal to the surface is a continuous process of formation of a new surface layer, in which soil particles from different depths are thoroughly mixed with each other.

The leaves, dragged into the burrows of the worms for food, after they have been torn into minute pieces, partly digested, partly moistened with liquid secretions of the intestinal canal and urinary secretions, are mixed with large quantities of earth. This land forms a dark fertile layer.

Experiments have shown that the role of earthworms in changing and improving soil properties is much greater than loosening and mixing its layers during plowing. Worms mix the soil to a greater depth than a plow and contribute to an increase in the fertile layer.

OBSERVATION 4

All living organisms, including earthworms, eat, move, breathe, one way or another, adapt to their environment. One of the most important properties of living things is reproduction, which means that worms must multiply. But how?

In nature:

1. Look in nature, under stones, boards, objects lying on the ground for a long time, for cocoons of earthworms. They are greenish in color, rounded in shape with slightly pointed ends (in the shape of a lemon), 3 - 5 mm in size.

Actively looking for cocoons of earthworms in nature, I did not find them.

My mom is a biologist. She came to my rescue. Near the head end of the earthworm, I found a yellowish thickening called the girdle. Mom explained to me that there are a lot of special glands near it that secrete a liquid that hardens in the air. Thus, a wide ring is formed around the girdle, which the worm shifts from itself over its head, laying eggs in it. At the discarded ringlet, the edges dry up and shrink, forming a cocoon, somewhat similar in shape to a lemon. I looked for such cocoons (up to 5 mm long) in the ground, under boards, stones and other objects.

The embryos feed on the protein surrounding them and undergo minor transformations, then small worms, similar to adults, emerge from the cocoon.

In the laboratory:

1. Put in the box where you breed earthworms, a few slightly crushed boiled potatoes.

2. Observe what you find?

3. Compare the development of earthworms with the development of insects.

PROGRESS OF OBSERVATION

In my terrarium (box with earth), I populated the worms. Worms are mobile, which indicates their good condition.

I boiled potatoes with my mother, crushed them slightly and placed them in a terrarium.

After 19 days, I found something incomprehensible in the potatoes. I learned that these are cocoons, which were laid by a worm. In order not to disturb the microclimate, I did not count the cocoons.

Young worms emerged from cocoons.

In nature, within 12-18 weeks, each worm lays a cocoon the size of half a grain of rice. Each cocoon contains 3-21 worm embryos. After 2-3 weeks, newborn worms appear from the cocoons, only 4-6 mm long, which grow rapidly and increase their weight from 1 to 250-500 mg in 10-12 weeks. Usually young worms become sexually mature by October.

Compare the development of earthworms with the development of insects:

3. RELATIONSHIP OF EARTHWORMS WITH THE HABITAT.

OBSERVATION 5

Worms are animals, living organisms, and all living things have the ability to respond to environmental influences to one degree or another. How are they connected to the outside world?

1. Determine the reaction of earthworms to light.

2. Observe the effect of moisture on earthworms.

EXPERIENCE 3 Light.

PURPOSE OF THE EXPERIENCE:

Determine the reaction of earthworms to light.

EXPERIENCE PLAN:

1. Find a worm in nature.

3. Observe what will happen?

4. Find and learn from various sources of information why this happened.

WORKING PROCESS.

1. I dug up an earthworm in our garden.

2. With the help of a magnifying glass, a beam of light was directed to the front end of the worm's body.

3. The worm instantly began to burrow into the ground.

The organs of vision and hearing are absent in worms, but it has sensitive cells on the surface of the body. This gives him the ability to distinguish between light and dark and feel subtle touches. If you light them up with a lantern at night, they immediately hide in their burrows.

Worms do not like heat: at a temperature of 23 ° C they hide, and the heat is more feasible for them to die. Worms cannot live in sunlight.

A well-developed sense of touch and smell helps worms choose what they need. They grab the object, not haphazardly, but are taken from the convenient end. For example, they use a nut shell in the same way as we use a manhole cover.

EXPERIENCE 4 Moisture.

PURPOSE OF THE EXPERIENCE:

Observe the effect of moisture on earthworms.

EXPERIENCE PLAN:

1. Pour a layer of dry soil into the jar.

2. Place 7 adult worms in a jar.

3. Watch what happens to the worms.

WORKING PROCESS

1. Took liter jar and poured dry earth into it.

2. Put worms in a jar.

3. The worms joined into a common ball.

I conclude that worms love wet ground. After all, when conducting experiments, I always monitored the moisture content of the soil.

What made them curl up into a ball? Worms breathe the entire surface of the body, which is constantly moistened by secreted skin mucus. With the onset of drought, the worms lie curled up in a ball, surrounded by hardened skin mucus, falling into a temporary hibernation.

4. PRACTICAL APPLICATION

I took a leaf of a violet flower and put it into the water. After two weeks, I noticed shoots on it. Mom explained that these are young roots, thanks to which my plant will live. Then, taking the soil obtained during the experiments, I planted the flower in a flower pot.

The fertile layer of earth produced by worms I used to grow indoor flower. Thus, I have used a product in which I am completely sure, thanks to my research. Because we can never tell exactly where the land we bought in the store comes from. And I took the flower to school. Let decorate the class!

5. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS.

1. Worms are collected after rain directly on the surface of the earth or dug out of well-fertilized soil in vegetable gardens and greenhouses. You can detect worms by turning boards, pieces of wood, stones lying on the ground.

Contain earthworms usually in large flower pots, boxes, special cages. With prolonged maintenance, rye flour, bread crumbs, rotting leaves are mixed with the soil or placed on the surface. Put the pots in a shady cool place and monitor the soil moisture, for which they spray it with water from time to time. For each worm there should be one or two glasses of earth.

2. The name earthworms is collective.

AT middle lane In our country, the most common is a large or "large creep", reaching a size of 20 - 25 centimeters, a red worm, or "small" length of 10-12 centimeters, has a brighter color.

3. Worms live in captivity for up to ten years, but in nature - much less.

4. Earthworms can be living barometers. If on a warm evening they crawl out of the ground, it means that the weather will soon change dramatically, there will be heavy rain and a thunderstorm.

5. Under the influence of radiation, the number of earthworms decreases and developmental delay is observed. Most likely, this happens because they are obtained not only from the outside, but also from the inside, from the soil that they swallow.

6. In the course of their life, earthworms loosen the soil, which contributes to its enrichment with oxygen and improves the absorption of moisture. They mix the soil layers, that is, they participate in the formation of the soil. Soil humus substances are converted by microorganisms into soluble chemical compounds, and with the help of roots, plants have the necessary nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other elements for them. The air in the soil is also important as a source of nitrogen compounds, which is done by special soil bacteria. Thus, earthworms contribute to the implementation of this essential link in the nitrogen cycle, facilitating the circulation of air in the soil and its penetration into deep soil layers.

7. Processing organic residues and involving them deep into the soil, earthworms contribute to the formation of humus in it.

Thus, we learned that earthworms play a special role in nature, increasing the most important property of the soil - fertility.

In conclusion, I ask myself the questions: “What was the benefit of this work for me?”, “What did it teach?”

Firstly, I learned a lot of new, interesting and useful things. I used to often ask my mother questions, and now I have found answers to many of them myself as a result of working on this topic. To answer many questions, I needed different sources of information, so I learned to work with them. It was difficult for me, but I tried to find and highlight (of course, with the help of adults) the main thing in wide world information. I think if everything didn’t work out for me, it’s not scary, because I’m only a first grader.

What has this job given me? I learned to compare, analyze, consider the studied object from all sides. I took the first steps in research activities in kindergarten, and now I have gained even more experience. It was very difficult for me, but adults always helped.

I learned a lot about worms. It turns out there is California worm. It can be grown at home. Maybe that's what I'll do in the summer holidays. After all, I really enjoyed experimenting and observing.

DURING THE OBSERVATIONS AND EXPERIMENTS NOT ONE EARTHWORM DID NOT DIE.

6. RESULTS OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE CARRIED OUT AMONG THE STUDENTS OF MY CLASS

One of the methods of collecting information during the study was a survey of my classmates. The processing and analysis of the data obtained allowed me to draw some conclusions about the knowledge of my classmates about the earthworm.

Consider the results this stage research.

For the survey, we took four questions. In total, 26 people participated in the survey (my 1 "a" class) aged 7 to 8 years. This is how the answers to the questions asked were distributed.

1. Have you seen an earthworm?

Respondents' answers: 1). Yes - 100%

This answer was predictable. After all, we live in a village. Every spring our parents dig beds for planting. The girls are often around. In autumn we harvest potatoes in the fields. We also dig in the ground. Dads go fishing, sometimes they take us with them. So our guys are all familiar with the worm. Therefore, I was interested in another question.

2. Where did you see an earthworm?

Answers: 1). In the garden, in the beds - So answered 24 people in our class out of 26 (92%).

2). Under logs and boards. – 2 people (8%).

3. Is earthworm useful?

Answers: 1). Yes. - So answered 7 people of our class out of 26 (27%).

2). No. – 10 people (39%).

3). Don't know. – 9 people (34%)

My classmates, just like me, did not know about the benefits of the earthworm before, so I decided to tell them about my research.

4. Why do earthworms exist in nature?

Participants in the questionnaire gave a variety of answers to this question.

one). Bird food. – 18 people (62%).

2). Bait for fishing. – 12 people (46%).

3). Climb in the ground. – 4 people (21%).

4). So it is necessary. – 2 people (15%).

5). I don't know (difficult to answer). – 1 person (4%).

6). Did not answer - 3 people (12%).

Based on the results of the answers, we can conclude that my friends see the main purpose of the earthworm in bird food. 46% of children from the number of students in the class can be seen with their dads go fishing. That's where they use the worms.

It's a shame that my classmates know so little about such a wonderful creature as an earthworm. But he is so small, but helps a person. Yes, earthworms are indeed the guardian angels of all life on earth, although they live underground.

7. IN THE WORLD OF INTERESTING

1. MODERN SIGNS

An earthworm is a sign of an approaching long, most likely pleasant journey.

Seeing an earthworm dead - a long journey may have to be postponed for a while; alive, stretching his body to its full length - to a close and romantic journey.

To see an earthworm crawling on asphalt - to the speedy fulfillment of the most secret desire, which, due to different reasons could not be fulfilled for a long time.

Seeing several worms is the appearance in your company of a new erudite person who will become your true friend!

2. EARTHWORM MUSEUM

The Earthworm Museum is a traveling exhibition that tells about wonderful animals - earthworms. About their risk-filled lives, complex behavior, amazing abilities, friends and enemies, about birth, love and death. And also about how they are arranged and what these great creators and soil changers mean for life on Earth.

The museum was created on a public initiative for educational purposes. People know little about earthworms, about these timid and defenseless inhabitants of the soil, and often treat them badly.

The purpose of the exposition is to give the visitor to look at earthworms with different eyes and understand the beauty and complexity of any manifestation of life.

The museum is based in Moscow, but is able to travel.

Once, at a lesson on familiarization with the outside world, the teacher told us about the diversity of the animal world. I learned that the science of animals is called zoology and zoologists divide the animal kingdom into big number groups. Most of all I was interested in the group "Worms".

From the early childhood we saw earthworms and, only now I have a question about what they are for, what role they play in nature. The teacher suggested that I do research work on the role of earthworms in soil formation.

The purpose of the experiment is to place earthworms in four containers: in the first, the soil on which the remains of dry leaves and grass were placed on top; in the second, compacted soil; in the third, sand and soil are covered in layers; in the fourth dry leaves and grass. Wrap all containers in foil and hide in a dark place, after a certain amount of time open and look at the changes that have occurred.

The result of my work will be to find out what benefits earthworms bring in nature. I want to find out if these small, nondescript and even unpleasant-looking animals are needed, or if they have no meaning in nature.

All the questions that came up made me huge interest, and, I decided to start research work.

I hope that the materials presented in my work will help the children understand the importance of simple, earthworms in the life of nature. Are there living beings in nature that have no meaning, and no one would notice their absence.

earthworms

All relatively large worms that live in the soil are called earthworms. Everyone is well aware of these creatures, which after rain can be seen on the ground, paths, in puddles.

Earthworms live in moist soils throughout the globe. The smallest of them are only 1-2 cm long, but some tropical species are real giants. Their three-meter body often terrifies tourists.

When moving, the earthworm alternately stretches out, then contracts, clinging with bristles to the unevenness of the soil. At the same time, special cells in its skin produce mucus that facilitates movement in the ground.

Worms breathe with the entire surface of the skin. Oxygen is carried with blood through two main vessels - dorsal and abdominal, which permeate the entire body.

Earthworms spend most of their lives underground, where they dig long, intricate passages.

The number of worms is enormous. On 1 hectare of their land total weight may be several tons. Worms waking up after hibernation, begin to lay cocoons (one cocoon about once a week) in for three months. During the year, the number of earthworms increases more than a thousand times. In winter, some of the young worms may die.

Varieties of earthworms

The most common types of earthworms are:

1. The earthworm is tetrahedral. It is 3-5 cm long, its middle and rear parts are tetrahedral. Found only in very humid areas.

2. The foul-smelling earthworm is 6-13cm in length. It got its name for the specific unpleasant odor it emits. Characteristic sign: red or brown rings. It is found mainly in manure heaps.

3. The yellowish green earthworm is 5-7 cm long. Its color can be different: yellowish, greenish, brown. Lives in both slightly moist and very damp soil.

4. The reddish earthworm is 7-15cm in length. The dorsal side is reddish-brown and purple with a pearly sheen. This is a typical inhabitant of more or less moist, humus soil, usually at shallow depths.

5. Earthworm terrestrial or ordinary (creeping out) is 9-30cm in length. It is very widely distributed, especially common in clay soils. On wet nights, it climbs to the soil surface for the remains of plants.

Tireless agricultural technicians

Charles Darwin was one of the first to appreciate the great importance of unattractive earthworms in the life of mankind. He devoted several years of hard work to their study.

Darwin found that earthworms pass through the entire arable layer of the earth in a few years. They enrich depleted lands with fresh humus, loosen them, simultaneously fertilizing with their secretions and leaves carried away into minks. The countless burrows of worms provide perfect drainage and soil ventilation.

The well-known Polish biologist Jan Dembowski draws attention to the presence of a kind of mental activity in earthworms.

I. Akushin, studying the mental activity of earthworms, proved their ability to learn. The worms were placed in a T-maze, in the longest corridor forming the base of the letter "T". When the worms crawled to its end, they were given the choice to turn right or left. “To the left” a blackout and food awaited them, “to the right” a blow electric currents. After several attempts, the worms became accustomed to unmistakably go to the right side- to food.

E. Yu. Ziborova found out that the absence of earthworms in the soil means that the soil conditions are unfavorable for their life activity, and, as a result, the fertility of such soil is extremely low. All earthworms lead the same, nocturnal lifestyle: they spend their whole lives in the ground, digging deep passages and thus loosening the ground, crawling out to the surface of the soil only at night. They are also forced to leave their water-filled burrows after heavy rains so as not to suffocate. The mink of the worm is a narrow long channel, which in hot summer can reach a depth of 1.5 meters, with an extension at the end for a turn.

Practical work

Part 1. The beginning of the experience.

All my work will consist of four experiments. I'll take four containers.

In the first place I will put earthworms and cover them with earth, from the top I will put small remains of leaves. I will wrap everything in foil and put it in a dark place for 5 days.

In the second, I will place earthworms on the bottom, cover them with earth and lightly tamp, draw a line indicating the level of the earth in the tank. I will wrap it in foil and put it in a dark place for 5 days.

In the third, I will place earthworms on the bottom and cover the sand and soil in layers. I will wrap it in foil and put it in a dark place for 10 days.

In the fourth container I will place earthworms and fill them with small dry leaves and blades of grass. I will wrap it in foil and put it in a dark place for 15 days.

I placed all the containers in a dark place to create conditions close to natural, for animals to live. For the same purpose, periodically the contents of the containers must be sprinkled with water, since earthworms live in moist soil, in the dark.

Part 2. Finding out the changes that have occurred in 5 days.

It's been 5 days and I can find out what changes happened in the first two containers. Taking out the first one, I found that the earthworms dragged all the dry leaves and blades of grass into their minks. It seems to me that for a small worm it is truly a feat - to transport under the ground a whole leaf weighing a little less than the worker himself. At first glance, nothing special happened, but, after thinking, we can conclude that with the help of these little workers the soil is fertilized, since the leaves in the ground rot faster and form the necessary fertilizers for better plant growth.

After analyzing the second container, I found that the soil had risen above the line drawn. What useful things did the worms do here for 5 days?

Conclusion. Earthworms loosened the soil, allowing them to penetrate into it more oxygen, which, like humus, is necessary for better growth and development of plants. But the presence of oxygen is important not only for plants, but also for other animals living in the earth.

Already at the first stage of the ongoing experiments, it is clear what benefits these small, nondescript animals bring.

Part 3. Finding out the changes that have occurred in 10 days.

Taking out a container in which sand and soil were covered with layers, I found that they were mixed. What does this mean? What useful things did the worms do for 10 days?

Conclusion. Passing the earth through their intestines, the worms mix the layers of the soil, enriching it with humus.

After analyzing this part of the experience, I again became convinced that they were loosening the ground.

Part 4. Finding out the changes that have occurred in 15 days.

I found interesting changes in the fourth container. Soil formations appeared there. For 15 days, earthworms fed on decaying plant debris. Passing them through themselves, they processed them and formed the soil.

Conclusion. Earthworms are soil formers.

Chapter 5

After analyzing all the experiments carried out, I came to the conclusion that earthworms, these tireless little workers, perform hard work soil formation, loosen it and enrich it with fertilizers and oxygen. The more earthworms live on a certain piece of land, the more favorable the conditions for the growth and development of plants. Other inhabitants feel more comfortable, as it is easier for them to build their dwellings in loose soil and breathe in it, enriched with oxygen.

Charles Darwin wrote: “The plow is one of the oldest and most important inventions of mankind; but long before his invention the soil was properly tilled by worms, and always will be tilled by them.”

The fertility restored by worms, the structure and health of the soil make it possible to guarantee high yields on them, so the presence of earthworms in the soil is an important indicator.

Worms can be used on the farm: for processing garbage, manure, sawdust. Passing through the intestines of the worm, these wastes turn into fertilizers.

Completing my research work, I can say with full confidence that the benefits of these small, nondescript workers are enormous. They occupy an important stage in nature. Earthworms must be protected and conditions must be created for their life and reproduction.

In nature, everything is interconnected, and with the disappearance of a simple earthworm, irreparable changes can occur in the fertile soil layer, which will entail disruptions in the development of flora and fauna.

Conclusion.

Conducting scientific, research work on observing the life of earthworms, I learned a lot of interesting things, drew attention to things that previously seemed unimportant, not significant.

I made, in my opinion, very important conclusions that other children need to know. I think that my work will help other people to understand that there is nothing unnecessary in nature. It is very important to take care of everything that surrounds us, because the disappearance of an inconspicuous, even outwardly unpleasant, simple earthworm can lead to irreparable imbalances in nature.

It is necessary to remember the invaluable contribution that earthworms make to soil formation.

1. Fertilization of the soil occurs, as the worms drag the remains of leaves and grass into their holes.

2. Loosen the soil, allowing more oxygen to penetrate into it.

3. They pass the soil through their intestines, mix the soil layers, enriching it with oxygen.

4. They are soil formers.

5. Thanks to their activities, plant growth improves. living conditions of animals that live in the earth.

6. But most importantly, I realized that everything in nature is interconnected. Each living organism makes its own invaluable contribution to improving the lives of other plants and animals, to improving the living conditions of man himself.

Earthworms or earthworms(lat. Lumbricina) - a suborder of low-bristle worms from order Haplotaxida. They live on all continents except Antarctica, however, only a few species initially had a wide range: the distribution of a number of representatives occurred due to human introduction. The most famous European earthworms belong to the Lumbricidae family.

scientific classification

Kingdom: Animals

Type: Annelids

Class: Belt worms

Subclass: Small-bristle worms

Order: Haplotaxida

Suborder: Earthworms

families

• Acanthodrilidae
• Criodrilidae
• Eudrilidae
• Glossoscolecidae
• Lumbricidae
• Megascolecidae

Structure

Representative body length different types varies from 2 cm (genus Dichogaster) to 3 m (Megascolides australis). The number of segments is also variable: from 80 to 300. When moving, earthworms rely on short setae located on each segment except the anterior one. The number of setae varies from 8 to several tens (in some tropical species).

The circulatory system of worms is closed, well developed, the blood is red. Breathing is carried out through the skin rich in sensitive cells, which is covered with protective mucus. Nervous system earthworms consists of a poorly developed brain (two nerve nodes) and an abdominal chain. They have a developed ability to regenerate.

Earthworms are hermaphrodites, each sexually mature individual has a female and male reproductive system (synchronous hermaphroditism). They reproduce sexually using cross fertilization. Reproduction occurs through cocoons, inside which the eggs are fertilized and develop. The cocoon occupies several anterior segments of the worm, standing out from the rest of the body. The exit from the cocoon of small worms occurs after 2-4 weeks, and after 3-4 months they grow to the size of adults.

Applied value

The importance of earthworms in the process of soil formation was one of the first to be pointed out by Charles Darwin in 1882. Earthworms create minks in the soil (at least 60-80 cm deep, large species- up to 8 m), contributing to its aeration, moistening and mixing. The worms move through the soil by pushing particles apart or swallowing them.

After the rains, earthworms come to the surface due to a lack of oxygen, which is why they got one of their names - earthworms.

Breeding earthworms

Breeding earthworms (vermiculture) allows you to process different kinds organic waste into high-quality environmentally friendly fertilizer - biohumus. In addition, due to the fecundity of worms, it is possible to increase their biomass for use as feed additives to the diet of farm animals and poultry.

For breeding worms, compost is prepared from various organic wastes: manure, chicken manure, straw, sawdust, fallen leaves, weeds, tree branches and bushes, waste processing industry, vegetable stores, etc. After the environmental conditions in the compost lead to optimal conditions, the worms are settled in the compost. After 2-3 months, a sample of the multiplied worms is made from the resulting biohumus.